visit japan mofa

• About Japan

Visiting Japan

• Information Related to COVID-19 - JapanGov
• Border enforcement measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)　- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
• TeCOT (COVID-19 Testing Center for Overseas Travelers) - Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
• Vaccination Certificate for Overseas Travel - Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) advisory information - Japan National Tourism Organization

We welcome you to visit Japan

Empowering the Disabled

This movie introduces the new essential steps ahead of an unforgettable travel in Japan.

General Information

Japan: the Official Guide

Japan National Tourism Organization

General tourism information of Japan in multi languages. Climate, Healthcare, Money, Visa, Emergency info, etc. WEB: http://www.jnto.go.jp/

Open for Professionals

Japan External Trade Organization

The Government of Japan strongly welcomes highly-skilled foreign professionals. WEB: https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/hrportal/

Disaster Prevention Portal

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Portal Site for Disaster Prevention in a Tokyo Inland Earthquake Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. WEB: http://www.mlit.go.jp/en/

Safety Tips

Safety tips is an app to push notify the disaster information of Japan. Download the app from the website as follow; WEB: http://www.jnto.go.jp/safety-tips/

Japan Weather Forecast for Travelers

Weather forecast in English for travelers. WEB: http://www.jnto.go.jp/weather/eng/index.php

Japan Meteorological Agency

WEB: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

Embassies, Visas, Customs and other Tourism Related Information

• Japanese Embassies, Consulates and Permanent Missions Overseas [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
• Visas – Guide to Japanese Visas – [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
• Customs – Procedures of Passenger Clearance – [Japan Customs]
• The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
• Animal Quarantine [Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries]
• Plant Protection Station [Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries]

Studying and Teaching

• Study in Japan Comprehensive Guide [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
• Gateway to study in Japan [Japan Student Services Organization]
• Erin's Challenge! I can speak Japanese [The Japan Foundation]
• Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture [The Japan Foundation]
• Portal Site on Policies for Foreign Residents [Cabinet Office]
• The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET)

Inside Kyoto

A Kyoto Travel Guide

A Guide to the Visit Japan Web app and Japan Entry Procedures

While it’s recommended to use the Visit Japan web app, it’s not mandatory. In fact it may be quicker to use the standard paper immigration forms on arrival in Japan.

There are now no Covid protocols for Japan. The Japanese government still recommends that visitors to Japan use the Visit Japan Web app, which replaces the paper arrival card and customs declaration, but you DO NOT HAVE TO USE THE VISIT JAPAN WEB APP.

On our last entry to Japan in October 2023, those not using the app actually moved faster through immigration and customs. So, it’s really up to you: use the app or just go old school and fill out a paper arrival card and customs declaration (and if you don’t get them on the plane, you can pick them up at immigration and customs).

Visit Japan Web

Time required to fill out and instruction manuals

When you first download the app and look at the instruction manual, you may get the impression that it’s going to take a long time to complete Visit Japan Web. In practice, it takes about 15 minutes and is pretty intuitive. I suggest using the simplified manual and quarantine section manuals linked below.

Three parts to Visit Japan Web

Note, Visit Japan Web actually consists of three parts: 1) immigration information (ie, disembarkation card information), 2) customs information (ie, customs declaration), and 3) tax-exemption section. When you successfully complete these sections, you will receive three QR codes. The first two you will show at the airport upon arrival. The third you will show at shops that offer tax-free shopping to tourists.

Important tip

You will need a charged smartphone with internet access for Visit Japan Web to work at the airport when you arrive. Japanese airports have free wifi, so connectivity is not an issue, but be sure to charge your phone before flying. Just in case something goes wrong with your phone or you cannot get online at the airport, it’s a good idea to do two things to print out your immigration and customs QR codes to show at the airport.

Important Visit Japan Web Links

• Here’s the Visit Japan Web download site .
• Here’s a detailed manual for using Visit Japan Web.
• Here’s a simplified Visit Japan Web Manual (scroll down for instructions).

Kyoto Vacation Checklist

• For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Kyoto guide
• Check Kyoto accommodation availability on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
• You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Kyoto , Kyoto to Osaka and Kyoto to Tokyo
• Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Kyoto
• See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
• Buy a data-only SIM card online for collection when you arrive at Kansai International Airport (for Osaka and Kyoto) or Tokyo's Narita Airport . Or rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
• Compare Japan flight prices and timings to find the best deals
• If you're making frequent train journeys during your visit, you might save money with Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
• A prepaid Welcome Suica card makes travelling around Kyoto easy – here's how
• World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world

Kyoto District Map

• Central Kyoto
• Northwest Kyoto
• Northern Higashiyama
• Southern Higashiyama
• Downtown Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Area
• South East Kyoto

Disclosure: InsideKyoto.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. World Nomads provides travel insurance for travellers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

• Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Any restrictions on entering Japan?

On April 29th, 2023, all border measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were lifted.

Those who are entering Japan on or after April 29th, 2023, will not be required to present a Valid Vaccination Certificate or a Covid-19 Negative Test Certificate.

For more information, please check the following page.

https://www.japan.travel/en/practical-coronavirus-information/

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

• https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/bordercontrol.html

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

• https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html

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Articles in this section

• Should we cancel or postpone our trip to Japan?
• Coronavirus advisory information
• What should I do if I am infected with COVID-19 in Japan?
• Do Japanese medical institutions accept payment by credit card?
• Where can I check if tourist facilities are temporarily closed?
• Where can I check the status of events and whether shrines, temples, restaurants, etc. are open?
• World Health Organization Q&A on coronaviruses (COVID-19)
• General Information
• Climbing Mt. Fuji
• Pass/Tickets
• Safe Travel
• Maps & Brochure Request

Visit Japan Web: The Online Registration Before Arriving in Japan

Japanese customs: mysos replaced from november, 14,  2022.

During the Covid pandemic, entry procedures in Japan have changed a lot, which created some confusion. It is still somewhat the case after the reopening to tourism since October 11, even if a focus has been placed on easing the procedures especially through digitalization , to minimize human interactions and subsequent contamination risks.

Until recently, the Japanese government asked visitors to install specific app on their smartphones:

• MySOS, for advance registration of information regarding vaccine status / PCR test, for faster airport procedures in Japan (the "fast track" system)
• COCOA, an app to track contact-cases and infected persons, but it was discontinued in September 2022.

MySOS was not mandatory but highly recommended . Travelers who could not use the app were directed upon their arrival in Japan to a specific line in order to complete the necessary steps (showing a valid vaccination certificate / PCR test, etc.) which lengthened their time at the airport.

New website available since November 1st, 2022

In mid-October 2022, a new change in the procedure has been announced for all entry in Japan from November 14 included : every traveler (tourist, foreign resident and Japanese citizen alike) can register in advance on the Visit Japan Web site.

Visit Japan Web is a free, single portal to group formalities related to:

• Covid-19   🦠 ( quarantine , vaccination certificate, PCR test); The Pre-registration for Quarantine Procedures section collects the information that were previously filled in the MySOS app ("Fast Track" function);
• Immigration : the Disembarkation Card for Foreigner that was formerly handed in the plane  ✈️ just before landing (does not concern Japanese citizens and foreign permanent residents);
• Customs  🛂 , with the Declaration of Personal effects and Unaccompanied Articles , to fill upon arrival, formerly either on a paper form or on the Japanese government’s Zeikan shinkoku app (税関申告アプリ).

In the facts, registering on the website has been possible since November 1, 2022 , for any arrival in Japan from November 14 in one of its largest airports:

• Tokyo -Narita,
• Tokyo-Haneda,
• Osaka - Kansai (KIX),
• Chubu ( Nagoya ),
• Fukuoka ( Kyushu ),
• New Chitose ( Hokkaido ) and
• Naha ( Okinawa ).

Travelers arriving in Japan before November 14, 2022, can still use the MySoS app to fill their Covid related data and are not the target of the Visit Japan Web.

1 blue screen and 2 QR Codes to show on a smartphone

Like with MySOS previously, each step of the registration process is ended by a change in the page display that includes:

• A blue screen , for a successful quarantine procedure registration,
• and the creation of 2 QR Codes for customs and immigration procedures.

Once all the steps are completed, a visitor’s smartphone  📱 will display first a blue screen, then 2 QR Codes to show at each checkpoint.

Starting April 29, 2023 , according to March 10 and April 26 latest announcements of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, some of the borders restrictions will be lifted and the Covid-19 quarantine procedure (blue screen) will not be required anymore .

It is highly recommended to register before departing for Japan : at the latest 6h prior to the flight’s departure, and ideally within the 10 preceding days , in order to allow time for the review of the submitted documents. Reviews are sorted by date of arrival in Japan . Visit Japan Web is available in English.

Whether you are fully vaccinated or not, consider using Visit Japan Web to make sure to board your flight to Japan, as airlines reserve the right to refuse passengers who may potentially be banned at the Quarantine Procedures step.

The necessary documents are:

• A valid email address (will be used as a user ID to each access to Visit Japan Web);
• Until April 29, 2023 , Covid vaccination certificate or negative PCR test result taken less than 72 hours before departure and translated in English (use the Japanese-English form provided by the Japanese Ministry of Health here );
• An address in Japan (for example, of the first accommodation you will be staying at).

If traveling with underage children , it is possible to register them on the same Visit Japan Web account (up to 10 travelers). Dependent or handicapped adults who cannot go through the procedures alone can also be registered in the Family members traveling with you section. However, each of them has to have their own passport or equivalent immigration document.

Each member of the family registered on the same account will also have their blue screen and 2 QR Codes, to show at checkpoints at the arrival airport in Japan.

Like with MySOS, registering with Visit Japan Web is not mandatory , however it helps going through the entry procedures in Japan faster, and reduces the hurdles of tedious formalities after 12 hours of more spent in a plane.

On April 5, 2023, Kono Taro, the Japanese Minister of Digital Affairs, announced that travelers are no longer required to show any document at arrival airport’s quarantine in Japan . However, filling information forms for immigration and customs is still a requirement.

Additional tips and advice

An Internet  📶 connection is required to use the Visit Japan Web site, especially to create the account, fill in the user’s information, and their family’s when applicable (name, passport number, etc.), the forms regarding vaccination or PCR test and create the first QR Code. The digital Disembarkation Card for Foreigners and custom procedures can be completed offline and the QR codes created upon arrival at the airport.

Creating a Visit Japan Web account is possible on a computer (Chrome browser is recommended) or on a smartphone (Chrome browser recommended on Android). In any case, before departure, make sure to be logged in only on the device you will use to travel (a smartphone ideally), and check that all information is up-to-date.

Questions asked at immigration and customs procedures are the same than on the paper forms. In any event, official Japanese sources (the Embassy of Japan or the Border Control page of the Japanese Ministry of Health for example) are the ultimate references regarding entry procedures in Japan and should be checked frequently.

• Flights and Airports
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• Japanese Food
• Visit with Kids
• Seasons: spring / summer / autumn / winter
• Weather forecast
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• June 6 -- Beginning of the rainy season (Tsuyu) in Japan
• June 21 -- Summer starts in Japan
• July 1 -- Season start for climbing Mount Fuji
• From July 1 to 31 -- Gion Matsuri Festival in Kyoto with float processions on July 17 and 24
• July 15 -- Sea day / Umi no Hi in Japan (holiday)
• July 17 -- Tokyo Day
• Tokyo : Shinjuku , Shibuya , Harajuku , Asakusa , Akihabara , Odaiba , Ikebukuro , Ueno , Roppongi , Chiyoda , Ryogoku ...
• Around Tokyo: Kamakura , Nikko , Hakone , Mount Fuji , Mount Takao , Yokohama ...
• Kansai: Kyoto , Nara , Osaka , Mount Koya , Himeji , Kobe , Kinosaki , Kumano Kodo , Ise ...
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Keikaku is a travel agency specialist of Japan and providing different kind of services:

• Japan Rail Pass
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• Happy birthday
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• Writing your name

Kanas are the much-needed basic characters of written Japanese language. Memorize them at a fast pace with our method.

Ask any kind of question and share your knowledge about Japan in Kanpai’s community space, our Q&A section Kotaete.

Isshoni means "together" in Japanese: share your trip details (dates, places you would like to visit) and find companions to travel in Japan.

Create your Kanpai account to manage your profile and view your participation history (questions, answers).

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• Helping You Plan

All you need to know about entering, leaving and staying in Japan

Any foreign visitor entering Japan must have a valid passport for the duration of their stay, and all visitors must comply with the conditions of their visas.

See below for information about the current visa requirements for Japan.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country of residence.

Enjoy the Digital Nomad Lifestyle in Japan

Japan introduced a new visa program specifically for "digital nomads" -international remote workers who are attracting worldwide attention.

Click here for details:

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According to the latest information posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website, Japan bans citizens of 159 out of 192 countries, as well as people who visited them within 14 days before arriving in Japan, from entering.

The government also suspended the validity of visas issued by March or April 2020 (depending on the location of the issuing embassy or consulate).  Visa-free entry is also suspended “for the time being” – you now must apply for a visa if you plan to go to Japan.

Countries on the Japanese landing ban list

Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Ecuador, Chile， Dominica, Panama, Brazil, Bolivia, Iceland, Ireland, Albania, Armenia, Andorra, Italy, United Kingdom, Estonia, Austria, Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia,  Kosovo, San Marino, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia,  Slovenia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Vatican, Hungary, Finland, France, Bulgaria, Belgium, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Malta, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro，Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Romania, Luxembourg, Israel，Iran, Turkey, Bahrain, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Morocco

Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic， Barbados, Peru, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, United Arab Emirates，Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti

The Maldives, Uruguay, Colombia, Bahamas, Honduras, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea

India，Pakistan, Bangladesh, Argentine, El Salvador, Kyrgyz，Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Ghana，Guinea, South Africa

Guyana, Cuba, Guatemala, Grenada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Nicaragua, Haiti, Georgia, Iraq，Lebanon, Algeria, Eswatini, Cameroon, Senegal, Central African Republic, Mauritania

Nepal, Suriname, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kenya, Comoros, Congo, Sierra Leone, the Sudan, Somalia，Namibia, Botswana, Madagascar, Libya, Liberia

Bhutan, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Ethiopia, Gambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Nigeria, Malawi, South Sudan, Rwanda, Lesotho

2. Who is allowed to re-enter Japan?

Foreign residents may re-enter Japan in the following cases:

1) If the country they visited is not on the landing ban list;

2) In case there are “special exceptional circumstances” (humanitarian grounds, etc.);

3) Foreigners who left Japan before the date the country they are staying in was designated as “an area subject to denial of permission to enter Japan”;

4) Foreigners who departed Japan before August 31 and those who departed after September 1 with a valid re-entry permit if they have the following status of residence:

• Permanent Resident,
• Spouse or Child of Japanese National,
• Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident,
• Long-Term Resident.

5) Business travellers or holders of specific working visas eligible to enter under the “Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel”.

3. What is the re-entry procedure?

Before you can enter Japan under the new rules, you will need to present a couple of documents to the immigration and quarantine officials at the airport:

• “Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan” or a “Receipt for a request of re-entry”
• Certificate of negative COVID-19 test result (test conducted within 72 of departure)

If you cannot submit the two documents on arrival in Japan, you may be denied entry.

The two documents are also required if you plan to return to Japan taking advantage of the “exceptional circumstances” clause.

When you arrive in Japan, you must quarantine for 14 days at a location specified by the authorities and not to use public transport.

How to get the certificate of a negative COVID-19 test result?

You should have the test done at a medical institution within 72h before arriving in Japan. Some airlines will require you to present the negative test result before boarding your flight.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website has a form you can print out and have the medical institution fill out for you. If the institution has its own document template it is also acceptable as long as the document is in English and contains at least the following information:

• Your personal information (name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, sex)
• Test method*
• Test result
• Sample type (nasopharyngeal swab or saliva)
• Date and time of sampling
• Date of the test result
• Date of issuance of the certificate
• Information about the medical institution (name and address of the institution or name of a doctor, official stamp or signature)

*Only the following testing methods are accepted:

• Nucleic acid amplification test (real-time RT-PCR)
• Nucleic acid amplification test (LAMP)
• Antigen test (CLEIA)

Where to get the COVID-19 test done?

The country you are staying in should have a list of institutions that can conduct a COVID-19 test for purposes of international travel. A good place to look is the country’s foreign minister’s website or the embassy or consulate of Japan.

What if testing for asymptomatic patients is not available in your country? Tough luck – the Japanese government suggests you stop in a third country, do the test, and then try entering Japan.

If you need a COVID-19 test for travel from Japan, the Japanese Society of Travel and Health has prepared a list of medical institutions that conduct COVID-19 tests  for travellers intending to depart Japan.

Cases in which entry or re-entry is possible without the COVID-19 test

If you have an urgent need to enter or re-enter Japan and you cannot get a “Certificate of Testing for COVID-19”, you need to inform the diplomatic mission in your country of residence of this fact when you apply for the “Re-entry Confirmation Letter”.  You will also need to submit documents to explain the urgency.

Some cases in which entry or re-entry is possible without the COVID-19 test are:

• You need to go to Japan for medical treatment (you need to provide a medical certificate that proves the urgency).
• You need to go to Japan to visit a relative who is in critical condition or to attend a funeral of ar relative (you need to provide a medical certificate that the relative is in a critical condition or a death certificate and documents proving your relationship.

For more information, contact the Adjudication Division, Immigration Department, Immigration Services Agency Tel: (Operator) 03-3580-4111 (Ext. No. 4446・4447).

Where to get the "Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan"?

The application for the “Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan” (“Re-entry Confirmation Letter”) is free. Apply at your local Japanese embassy or consulate. Depending on how busy your local Japanese consulate or embassy is, you may have to wait a couple of days before you can pick up your document.

You will need to present the following documents:

• A passport with a valid re-entry permit,
• A residence card issued by the Japanese government,
• Application Form for the “Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan” .

The application form contains your personal information (name, date and place of birth, phone number, email address, sex, nationality), information about your passport and residence card, your address in Japan, and your planned re-entry date, flight number and destination airport.

How to get a "Receipt for a request of re-entry"?

If you plan to leave Japan temporarily after September 1, apply for a “Receipt for a request of re-entry” from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan BEFORE YOU LEAVE. You can make the request from about 1 month before your scheduled departure. 

You will need to keep the Receipt and present it again when you re-enter Japan (this document is a substitute for the “Re-entry Confirmation Letter, so you don’t need both”).

The receipt is valid only for one person and one specific re-entry, so if you are planning to go with your family, make sure you send an email for each member of your party. 

If your itinerary changes after you have emailed the Agency, you will not have to re-send the request if the departure date changed by less than 1 month. Just let the immigration officer at your port of departure/re-entry know.

If you have questions about the procedure, contact the Border Management Division, Immigration Department, Immigration Services Agency Tel: (Operator) 03-3580-4111 (Ext. No. 5686･2760)

Application process for "Receipt for a request of re-entry"

1) Send an email with the subject “再入国予定の申出について” to one of the following addresses:

• For residents of the Tokyo Metropolitan area, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture or Niigata Prefecture: [email protected]
• For residents of areas other than those listed above [email protected]

The email should contain at least the following:

• Pledge to conform to the additional quarantine measures (to get a COVID-19 test result within 72h of departure for Japan)
• Your personal information (name, date of birth, nationality, residence card number)
• Your travel itinerary (destination, departure date, departure port, re-entry date and re-entry port)

2) Receive a confirmation email from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan – save the email or print it out. (usually takes a few days)

3) Present the Receipt at your port of departure to an immigration officer.

What are the quarantine rules after re-entering Japan?

Covid-19 test on arrival in japan.

If you have visited countries from the landing ban list within 14 days of entering Japan, you will undergo a COVID-19 test after you arrive in Japan. Be prepared for a stay at the airport or a designated facility until you receive the results (usually about 1-3h, longer if you need to be re-tested). When you get the results, you can proceed through immigration.

14-day self-isolation after you re-enter Japan

After arriving in Japan, register your intended self-isolation location and the means of transportation from the airport with the quarantine officer. You must stay at your home, a company dormitory, home of a relative or friend, monthly mansion or hotel or other location designated by the Chief of the Quarantine Station for 14 days counting from the day after your arrival. The location should have a separate toilet and bath you can use.

You may not use public transport (trains, buses, taxis, domestic flights), so you will need to arrange for someone to pick you up from the airport or get a rental car (here is  a list of rental car companies  provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). If you can’t arrange a private car or drive a rental car, your only choice would be to rent a room at a hotel near the airport.

During the 14 days, must not leave the designated location and should avoid contact with other people as much as possible.

Additional quarantine measures during self-isolation

If you have visited one of the countries on the landing ban list within 14 days before you arrive in Japan, the local Health Center will expect you to report on your health condition by phone or through email every day. You can also opt to use LINE – there is a field for that on the Questionnaire  you will fill out at arrival.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare encourages all people who enter Japan to install the contact tracing app COCOA and keep their location history on the map application of their choice for 14 days

4. In what cases can I re-enter Japan based on the “special exceptional circumstances” rule?

The Government of Japan may grant special permission to foreigners who departed Japan with a re-entry permit or have the status of residence of Permanent Resident, Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident or Long-Term Resident if there are “special exceptional circumstances”.

Whether you will be allowed to enter Japan depends both on the reason for your departure/re-entry and on the timing.

If you need more information, contact the Adjudication Division, Immigration Department, Immigration Services Agency Tel: (Operator) 03-3580-4111 (Ext. No. 2796)

If you departed BEFORE your destination was put on the landing ban list

Those who departed Japan before the country they left for was put on the denial of landing list:

• You have been separated from your family who is in Japan,
• You have departed Japan with your child who is enrolled in a Japanese school and needs to return to continue their education,
• You need to receive medical treatment in Japan (surgery, childbirth, etc.),
• You departed Japan to visit a relative in critical condition abroad or to attend a funeral of a relative,
• You departed Japan to receive medical treatment at a medical institution abroad (surgery, childbirth, etc.),
• You have received a summons from a foreign court to appear as a witness,
• You have the status of Instructor or Professor and need to re-enter Japan to fill a vacancy at the educational institution you belong to (if the vacancy results in suspension of the educational activities at the institution),
• You have the residence status of Medical Services.

If you departed AFTER your destination was put on the landing ban list

Those who departed Japan after the country they left for was put on the denial of landing list:

• You have received a summons from a foreign court to appear as a witness.

5. Who can enter and re-enter Japan as part of the “Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel”?

On June 18, 2020, the Japanese Government introduced special measures to ease travel restrictions for business travellers and holders on specific working visas on a trial basis. Currently, the measures apply to foreigners from Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Taiwan, but the scope will be extended to other countries when negotiations are completed.

There are two systems, the “Business Track” and the “Residence Track”.

• Business Track: short-term business travellers may enter Japan and conduct limited business activities during the 14-day stay at home period.
• Residence Track: long-term residents who need to enter Japan for work are allowed in but need to stay at home or another designated location for 14 days.

What sort of visas are accepted under this program?

The following visa holders are eligible to take part in the “Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel” program:

• Short-term stay for business
• Work or long-term stay with one of the following statuses of residence:
• Business manager,
• Intra-company transfer,
• Engineer / Specialist in humanities / International services,
• Nursing care,
• Highly skilled professional,
• Technical Intern Training,
• Specified Skilled Worker,
• Designated activities (Start-up)

Additional quarantine measures for Business and Residence Track travellers to Japan

Foreigners who enter Japan under this program will have to adhere to additional quarantine measures:

• Get a “ Written Pledge ” (a document stating their receiving organization’s commitment to implementing the quarantine measures) and the “ Schedule of Activities in Japan ” ( contains intended residence address, business destinations and persons the foreigner wishes to contact in Japan,  for Business Track only) from their receiving organization.
• Monitor their health for 14 days before departure (daily temperature checks, monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19) and write the results on the Questionnaire distributed on the plane (if the traveller has symptoms, they will have to cancel their trip).
• Submit the Re-entry Confirmation Letter and the negative COVID-19 test result.
• Take out private medical insurance before entering Japan or register with the public insurance system in Japan (company health insurance, National Health Insurance).
• Spend 14 days in quarantine after arriving in Japan (in some cases this does not apply to the Business Track visitors).
• Install the COVID-19 contact tracing application COCOA .
• Install LINE application and take part in 14-day “health follow-up” after they enter Japan (this involves sending daily reports of their health condition through LINE). This can be done by the traveller directly or by a representative of the receiving entity.
• Keep location data for 14 days after entering Japan using a map application (such as Google Map).
• Certificate of Testing for COVID-19  – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA)
• Application form for Re-entry Confirmation Letter  – MOFA
• COVID-19 contact tracing application  (COCOA)
• Written Pledge for the Residence Track  under the  “Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel” – MOFA
• Schedule of Activities in Japan  – MOFA
• List of Japan visa information hotlines  – MOFA
• List of rental car companies prepared by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare  (in Japanese, individual companies may have English websites)
• Example of the Questionnaire you will fill out at arrival  –  MHLW

Useful links

• Border enforcement measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)  – MOFA (2020/8/30)
• Entry and Re-entry of Foreign Nationals with Special Exceptional Circumstances – MOFA (2020/8/6)
• Cases where permission for re-entry may be granted due to special exceptional circumstances    – Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) (2020/6/12)
• Re-entry of foreign nationals with the status of residence  – MOFA (2020/8/28)
• Application for Visa or Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan for foreign nationals eligible for Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel  – MOFA (2020/9/4)
• Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel  – MOFA (2020/9/4)
• Phased Measures for Resuming Cross-Border Travel  – MOFA (2020/8/24)
• Process and Required Documents for Re-entry  – MOFA (2020/8/13)
• Regarding refusal of landing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) – Ministry of Justice (MOJ) (2020/8/28)
• Additional Epidemic Prevention and Control Measures for the Entry or Re-entry of Foreign Nationals  – MOJ (2020/8/21)
• COCOA (COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application) Contact tracing application of the Japanese Government  -MHLW
• List of medical institutions in Japan that conduct COVID-19 tests for business travellers  – JSTH Japanese Society of Travel and Health
• Ｑ＆Ａ on COVID-19 prevention measures  – MHLW (2020/3/26)
• 水際対策の抜本的強化に関するQ＆A  – MHLW
• Notice from the Quarantine Station to Persons Entering Japan  – MHLW (2020/7/24)
• FAQ on re-entry procedures for foreigners who depart Japan after September 1, 2020 – MOJ
• Request of intention to re-enter Japan for foreign nationals with status of residence currently residing in Japan  – MOJ (2020/9/3)

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MFA reopens its Arts of Japan galleries after six years of closure

With one of the most comprehensive collections of japanese art in the world, the museum rededicates the space with buddhist monks from japan’s miidera temple saturday..

The Museum of Fine Arts has what may well be the pre-eminent collection of Japanese art in the world outside Japan itself, with 100,000-plus pieces spanning more than a millennium. So, you might fairly wonder, where is it? Aha. Here and there, both in the museum and not (the collection is on the wish list of museums all over the world, to whom it routinely lends). At the MFA right now, “Songs from Modern Japan ,” an exhibition of prints and graphic design drawn mostly from its in-house holdings, runs until September. Last year, “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence ,” a sprawling, contemporary-inflected take on the 18th- and 19th-century Ukiyo-e master, occupied the museum’s vast special exhibition space, chock-full of the collection’s many wonders.

But a permanent home for those wonders, well, that’s been absent on museum grounds since 2018, when the Japanese galleries were closed for what turned out to be a much longer-than-expected redo (the museum had planned to reopen them in 2020, but was delayed by the pandemic; two small spaces remained open until last year, while the main gallery became a public conservation studio for the MFA’s Japanese Buddha sculptures ). That changes, finally, on Saturday when the MFA’s remade Arts of Japan galleries will open to the public with a rededication ceremony by a delegation of Japanese Buddhist monks from the Miidera temple in Japan, who are traveling to Boston for the occasion (museum visitors can view the ceremony by simulcast in the Remis auditorium at 1 p.m. ). In the galleries’ Japanese Buddhist Temple Room, a shadowy, contemplative space that holds an array of huge, centuries-old wooden Buddhas, the monks will welcome the collection back to life.

Buddhist faith holds reincarnation as a key tenet , a perpetual process of rebirth, enlightenment, and elevation; to strain the metaphor, the MFA’s rejuvenated Arts of Japan galleries are the product of lessons accumulated since its very beginnings. The museum started collecting Japanese art in 1876, a half-dozen years after its founding; the new galleries reflect practical wisdom as well as higher learning.

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In the central space, a pair of spectacular 17th- and 18th-century folding screen paintings, both safely behind glass, face each other across an expanse of blond wood floor. In another time, said the MFA’s senior curator of Japanese Art, Anne Nishimura Morse, they sat out in the open, in the middle of the room. “This was a huge screen showcase,” she said, smiling. “But kids would play and hide between them.”

The new spaces won’t be quite so interactive, for obvious reasons, but she hopes an invitation no less engaging remains. In a large glass case, three opulent silk robes from the 18th century made for Japanese Nō performances — slow, subtly meditative theatrical pieces, among the oldest forms of drama in the world — hang draped on wood armatures, splayed open to better see the intricate embroidery in the cloth.

Nearby, a video of a Nō performance plays quietly, the low, chantlike vocal tones of its performers, masked and layered in robes two and three deep, rumble in the stillness of the space. “It’s a very understated form of theater,” Morse said. “But it’s in the details, the slowness, the slightest movements, that the meaning comes through.”

Japanese art has been a pillar of the MFA’s holdings from almost the very start, alongside its core holdings in ancient Egyptian and Roman art. The galleries themselves, with their tall, dark wood posts meant to echo traditional Japanese architecture, were part of the original building. The museum started collecting in 1876, Morse told me, but really began in earnest when Salem native Ernest Fenollosa joined the MFA in 1890 as the head of what is now its Art of Asia department and brought 1,000 of his own paintings along with him.

Fenollosa had spent the previous dozen years studying and teaching art and philosophy in Japan; when it was time to come home, the emperor asked him to act as the country’s unofficial cultural emissary. Fenollosa had also found kinship with local Brahmin and physician William Sturgis Bigelow . The two men had spent time together in Japan, initially lured by Edward Morse, a Boston scientist who had gone to Japan in 1877 to study brachiopods .

Enamored of the country’s art and culture, Fenollosa’s intellectual pursuits endeared him to the imperial government and made him an early leader in the field back home. Bigelow’s wealth cast him in a different role. In 1911, after decades of amassing untold riches, he gave the museum a gift of 40,000 — yes, forty- thousand — works of Japanese art from his own collection, instantly making the MFA a western world leader in the field. The gift was shepherded by Okakura Kakuzo , an adviser and curator of Japanese and Chinese art at the museum from 1903 until his death in 1913. All three men were Buddhist adherents; Fenollosa and Bigelow are buried at Shiga Prefecture’s Miidera temple, home to the visiting monks.

The new galleries open with about 200 pieces — from painting to textiles to large-scale sculpture to a pair of shimmering swords from the 13th century that “were used to do what they were made for,” Morse said. “We can tell in some cases that the handles were shortened at some point for different kinds of warfare.”

To turn to the math for a moment: Two blades are on view; the MFA has more than 500. The 200 pieces in the gallery on opening day are one-fifth of one percent of what the museum owns. Objects will rotate in and out frequently, Morse said, but the opening display will have time to settle in. “People need to get used to it being here again,” she said.

The new galleries are refit with some of Morse’s thinking, cultivated over years of closure. All the text in the temple room is gone, so nothing stands in the way of the glorious Buddhas. Read, if you like, on an interactive touch screen just outside the door, but inside eschews chatty exposition for serenity of experience. And the high child-deterrent barriers meant to keep potential climbers at bay are gone, too, in favor of more subtle, still-necessary barricades.

New to the galleries is a chapter on the intricacies of Japanese tea, a ceremonial and aesthetic realm of its own, crucial to understanding the culture, but overlooked at the museum for years. “We’re starting to get there,” she said. “[Edward] Morse and Okakura studied tea, so they knew. But tea objects are the most difficult to acquire. They may have been the objects people in the 19th century, when they were there, were least likely to give up.”

For opening, the displays are notably sparse, with some of the museum’s best works elegantly arrayed with ample space between them. The screens in the central gallery are at the very top of the museum’s greatest-hits list. One, “Waves at Matsushima,” an 18th-century, six-panel piece by Ogata Korin, unfolds a wildly expressive landscape of golden waves thundering against blocky island cliffs rising above them. The crisply graphic waves contrast with the soft vertical volumes of the islands; the scene brims with a seductive visual tension, their earthy tones awash in a gilded sea.

Across the floor and behind glass, “Scenes from the Yoshiwara Pleasure District,” Hishikawa Moronobu’s late-17th-century pair of six-panel screens, depicts the bustle of a Japanese city’s more illicit quarters — kabuki theater, brothels with geisha. The dense detail — men gawking out the window at a bawdy scene, drama unfolding in all quarters — are obscured in part by banks of golden cloud blotting out the action. It shrouds the unsavory action at ground level with a veil of mystery and wonder at what lies beneath.

On an adjacent wall, three long scroll paintings tease at the greater glory of the museum’s holdings. At the center, “Woman Looking at Herself in a Mirror,” painted in 1805 by Katsushika Hokusai, is one of the collection’s key treasures. The painting is sharply precise but still brimming with drama; a woman’s back is turned to the viewer, a letter crumpled in her right hand. She’s draped in a densely patterned kimono, testament to the artist’s singular skill. At the bottom of the frame, a mirror reflects the woman’s face in a mournful swoon. Morse speculated that the image portrays a woman freshly jilted by a lover, and the misery that ensues.

Last year’s “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence” was as big a showcase as the collection had enjoyed in years; but the painting, one of the museum’s — and Hokusai’s — very best, was notably absent. “I was saving it for this,” Morse said with a smile.

ARTS OF JAPAN GALLERIES

Permanent display. At Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org .

Murray Whyte can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @TheMurrayWhyte .